This week my reading involved two books about boys and their pets. My Friend, Flicka completely took me into the world of a Wyoming Ranch and the heart of a young boy. This book Gay-Neck is wonderful in its own way too, but it wasn't the all encompassing absorption that My Friend, Flicka brought.
Gay-Neck won the Newbury Award in 1928. My dad had a copy of this book and read it when he was young. And at some point in my childhood I found that copy and read it too. I had completely forgotten what it was about. It is the fascinating story of a young Indian boy (I think he is 16 at the end of the book) who trains carrier pigeons. His best bird is Gay-Neck or Chitra-givra in Hindu - named for the resplendent feathers around his neck. Gay-Neck is a noble bird who has to face many dangers, including being a messenger on the battlefields of World War I.
The style of writing is very quaint and exotic. It reminded me mildly of the style Kipling adapted for telling the Jungle Book tales or the Just So Stories. He really, in a broad way, captured the quaint, stylized way of storytelling that perhaps is characteristic of Indian lore. The author was a popular children's writer from India who moved to England and later to California.
The setting is very exotic. We go from the rooftops of Calcutta to the Himalayan Mountains; from eagle eyries to lamaseries (monasteries for Buddhists monks) to dangerous nights spent in the jungle and even more dangerous battlefields. The story is very spiritual and there are many references to Hinduism and Buddhism, many prayers of gratitude for the earth and the animals; many reliances on the wisdom of the monks.
This is a very charming book that gives a little peep into the exotic world of India, other faiths and the training of carrier pigeons, as well as a glimpse into the battles of World War I.
For more book reviews go to Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
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